NASENI In 2026: Consolidating Projects Impact And Building A New Nation That Runs On Innovation

The National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI) has continued to demonstrate its capacity to strengthen Nigeria’s position by increasing investment in projects and programmes that will make more impacts on Nigerians with a   forward-looking approach as 2026 unfolds in earnest.

NASENI under the productive leadership of the Executive Vice Chairman, Khalil Suleiman Halilu in the last two years, has built projects, initiated programmes, which were significant milestones in the history of the Agency and 2026 is a year of consolidation in which numerous projects that NASENI is working on will be completed and commissioned.

The consolidation Agenda also included numerous initiatives that the Agency started in the last quarter of 2025, about which it has deployed expertise, resources  and ready for completion in 2026. In recent times, NASENI has taken the initiative to establish the Drone Assembly and manufacturing facility, which is a planned project at the Aeronautics and Air Vehicle Development Institute (AAVDI) in Kaduna.

This project is in collaboration with the Air Force Institute of Technology (AFIT) and private sector partners like Caverton Group. AAVDI an “emerging Institute”, when completed, will focus on research, development, and manufacturing of aeronautics and air vehicle technologies.

NASENI’s vision to expand development to all parts of Nigeria enabled her to initiate the idea of Industrial Equipment and Machinery Development Institute (EMDI) in Maiduguri, Borno State to develop indigenous solutions for Nigeria’s industrialization.

Key areas of the initiative include manufacturing, research, reverse engineering of capital goods, and supporting the local economy. It is also focused on playing a key role in tech advancement and creating jobs through initiatives like asset restoration and local production.

The project will gather momentum in 2026 and it will boost self-reliance by developing indigenous technologies and engineering practices as well as support infrastructure, manufacturing and job creation in regions like Borno State.

And to complement this effort, NASENI launched the Tractor Recovery Project in Borno State to revive broken-down heavy machinery and repurpose scrap, to strengthen local capacity and reducing waste, which will enhance food security and rural income by mechanizing agriculture. The NASENI Tractor Recovery Project which extended to Niger State last year is expected to touch down to other states in 2026.

In a move to position Nigeria as a major industrial hub, NASENI has established Renewable Energy Park in Gora; Nasarawa State, Nigeria’s first-ever Solar Industrial Park and a solar cell production plant. The project is intended to boost local manufacturing of solar components, reduce dependence on imports, and improve the nation’s energy security.

The Park which will be completed and commissioned in 2026 sits on a 40-hectare site along Keffi Road, Nasarawa State. It was selected because of its abundant silicon dioxide which is the major raw materials for the manufacturing of solar cells in the area. When completed, this park will create a comprehensive hub for local solar innovation, research, and production, covering the entire value chain from raw materials to finished solar panels.

NASENI also has an existing solar panel manufacturing plant in Karshi, FCT Abuja, which is operational and its capacity has been upgraded from 7.5MW to 22MW, with plans to reach 50MW and eventually 100MW to meet growing demand. An estimated 19,800 jobs will be provided by the facility in full operation and it also has the potential to drive down the cost of solar panels in Nigeria, and position the country as a regional leader in clean energy technology.

In order to empower Nigerians through advanced training, research and innovation, NASENI will in 2026 complete and establish the Sustainable and Emerging Technologies Institute (SETI) at Bayero University, Kano (BUK) to nurture innovation in artificial intelligence (AI), green technology, and industrialization.

The construction of SETI, which started in early 2025 as part of a broader effort to drive national development, aims to create tech innovators, support economic growth, and establish Kano as a global innovation hub. SETI will complement a second NASENI Agri-preneurship Hub at BUK and to unlock Nigeria’s economic potential through technology and entrepreneurship.

NASENI in line with the determined efforts of the Federal Government especially the administration of President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda had established diverse NASENI Skill Acquisition Centres (NSAC) across in Nigeria to train youths in technical skills to make them employable.

The NASENI Skill Acquisition Centres are ongoing projects and at completion and commissioning will consolidate efforts in areas such like auto-mechanics, solar installation, tailoring, electrical and electronics, sowing and several artisanal skills.

The NSACs are located in Nasarawa (Agwada, Keffi), Kaduna (Gwantu), Kebbi (Bagudo, Birnin-Kebbi), Katsina, Benue (Gboko, Wannune), Oyo (Ife), Borno (Maiduguri), Imo (Aboh-Mbaise), Cross River (Obudu), and Yobe, aiming to foster self-reliance and industrial development nationwide. The NSACs are part of NASENI’s broader strategy to create jobs, promote self-reliance, and drive Nigeria’s industrialization by developing a skilled workforce.

The NASENI Research Commercialization Grant Programme (NRCGP) is another initiative designed by   the agency to fund innovative, market-viable research from universities and institutions, turning novel ideas into commercial products. It is also meant to improve local content and economic growth through thematic areas like renewable energy, health, and IT, with a focus on practical, published, and scalable projects.

In 2026, selected winners that will benefit from this project will be announced.

There a number of other emerging institutes established by NASENI to energize developments in different sectors of the Nigerian economy. These include The Industrial Equipment and Machinery Development Institute (IEMDI) in Maiduguri, Borno State; The Engineering Materials and Equipment Development Institute (EMEDI) in Katsina, Katsina State and The Agricultural Machinery and Equipment Development Institute (AMEDI) in Birnin-Kebbi, Kebbi State.

Others AMEDIs include The Agricultural Machinery and Equipment Development Institute, Aboh-Mbaise, Imo State and The Agricultural Machinery and Equipment Development Institute, Cross River State which are likely to be completed this year.

On innovation side, NASENI activities in 2026 will include the selection and announcement of finalists in various initiatives such as Delta-2 Projects winners; DELT-Her and FutureMakers.

The   Developing Engineering Leaders through Her (DELT-Her 2.0) initiative, a NASENI project in partnership with the Presidential Implementation Committee on Technology Transfer (PICTT), provides an opportunity or platform through which women can turn bold engineering ideas into solutions that change the society.

In 2025, the programme gave a grant worth N229 million to 14 awardees to advance their innovative projects across critical sectors such as agriculture, clean energy, health, mobility, digital security and environmental sustainability. NASENI has launched FutureMakers, a programme targeted at instilling a culture of innovation and creativity among children of 15 years in age and below.

According to the NASENI Boss, “FutureMakers  is an initiative of NASENI Innovation Hub, which  is part of a long-term national strategy to build technical confidence early, develop problem-solvers and inventors, prepare young people for Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM), entrepreneurship and leadership, strengthen Nigeria’s innovation ecosystem from the ground up and feed talent into NASENI’s incubation and acceleration programmes.” The winners of these initiatives will be unveiled in 2026.

Another significant milestone is the DELTA 2 support programme for applied research, experimental development, and innovation between the Technology Agency of the Czech Republic (TA-CR) and the PICCT and NASENI. In December 2025, NASENI announced the institution of an Inter-Agency Competition to drive innovation among MDAs. The winners and their innovative solutions will also be unveiled in 2026.

The above projects and initiatives and many more that will take place in 2026 will support Nigeria’s industrialization agenda, increase capital goods production and products commercialization and the availability of products across Nigerian homes.